Alabama picks up marquee non-conference win over Creighton
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 7 Alabama made the most of its final chance to get a marquee win in non-conference play, knocking off Creighton at home by a final score of 83-75. The win moves the Crimson Tide to 8-2 on the season with three games left until SEC play.
Alabama opted to go with the same starting five as last game, starting Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Jarin Stevenson, Grant Nelson, and Cliff Omoruyi. Transfer guard Chris Youngblood made his season debut in the game, having missed the first nine games of the year recovering from ankle surgery in the preseason.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama came out of the gate with a ton of energy, being active and engaged early on the defensive end of the floor. The Crimson Tide held an early 9-5 lead at the first media timeout of the game, getting the home Coleman Coliseum crowd into it.
Oats played a ton of Alabama players early and often, rotating fresh bodies constantly to keep pushing the pace with tons of energy. By the under-12 timeout, all 11 available Alabama players had played, creating a ton of unique and versatile looks for the opposition.
The Crimson Tide went on an 8-0 run in the middle of the first half as the lead ballooned to 24-10, forcing five turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game. That’s an area Alabama has struggled to excel in much of this season, but it was a huge reason for its defensive success early in this one.
Building a lead of as many as 17 in the first half, Creighton got back into the game as the break approached thanks to a scoring drought from Alabama. The Tide made just one of its last 14 shots down the stretch of the first half, and those offensive struggles allowed the Bluejays to cut the lead down to just six points at the break.
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Alabama came out of the gate in the second half with a really nice set for a Sears three, and then kept up the aggression by attacking the rim with force. The Crimson Tide outscored Creighton 12-6 over the first four minutes of the second half, boosting the lead back to 12 with just under 16 minutes remaining.
Creighton responded, cutting the lead back down to six. Alabama kept fighting to keep the game at arm’s length and led by eight points with 10:36 to go. The game stayed around that double digit mark as the second half went on, with Philon and Derrion Reid making serious two-way impacts possession after possession.
Creighton brought an onslaught of threes in the final few minutes of the second half, cutting the lead back down to six, but it wasn’t enough as Alabama was able to close it out with some free throws.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Mark Sears — 27 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Labaron Philon — 16 points, 5 rebounds
Derrion Reid — 12 points, 4 rebounds
WHAT’S NEXT
Alabama will hit the road to play a game against North Dakota of the Summit League on Wednesday, a homecoming for Grant Nelson. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
